derryX in Montreal – Part 3

The next morning was August 28, 2011. Tropical Storm Irene had made her way into New York, and we were still in Montreal. We watched news coverage on CNN and NBC, and it looked like the worst direct impact footage they were showing was a guard tower crashing into a pier in Sheapshead Bay. Al Roker was there.

We decided that it was prudent to get a jump on the day and make our way back to Altamont, NY. The day started off with a stroll through the underground city. On our earlier trip, Cassie spotted a shop that specialized in sticky buns. That’s where we had breakfast.

In addition to a nice cold Orangina, I had a bacon and egg croissant and a maple sticky bun.

We quickly enjoyed the breakfast and made our way to the Montreal Biodome.

The sky was going dark, and it started to drizzle. There was some sidewalk construction going on at the Biodome. It was a little tough to figure out where to go. After I accidentally had an entire line of strangers follow me to the exit door while looking for the enter door, we made our way inside and bought our tickets.

This was a cool place. The climate is controlled in different areas to simulate habitats of the world. You start out in a rain forest and end up in a cooler place, not unlike the middle to northern part of Canada. We saw some pretty cool animals. I have no idea what exactly they were right now, but here are some pictures.

I even got to meet an alligator up close. You’re damn right we posed for a picture.

Once we got all that out of our systems, it was time to bring our weekend of fun to an end, so we hopped in the car and made our way to the Canada/New York border.

The young lady at the border check station where we decided to wait was a real stickler. You couldn’t blame her, though. For God’s sake, the car in front of us had temporary plates and tinted and otherwise looked pretty suspicious. She didn’t have any idea who Chuck Hughes was either.

The storm was intensifying as we drove south on I-87.

We decided to make a stop at Friendlys in Plattsburgh for a quick bite to eat on the road. We were positive that when we reached Altamont, we were going to find no power, so we needed to eat something. The storm was pretty strong. I got a little wet. Cassie got really wet when she bought gas. She even threw a sweater at me; you had to be there.

We continued down I-87. The storm was pretty bad. Lots of wind, lots of rain. I don’t need to tell you.

A whole bunch of roads were closed, but we found a way to get to our apartment. We had power, but, from the look of our alarm clocks, it had obviously been out for a while earlier.

For a trip that spanned a little more than a day, we did lots of stuff. It was a hell of an experience, in a good way. If you are ever in Montreal, I urge you to take the time to sit down at Garde Manger and have a meal. It really is a once in a lifetime place, but I hope to go again in my lifetime.

Much love for Montreal.

[Related: I thought people in Montreal would still be bitter over the Montreal Screw Job, but I didn’t hear about it once. I didn’t bring it up, though.]